Though a newAnimal Crossinggame has yet to be officially confirmed by Nintendo, fans and critics alike expect a new entry in the franchise to drop sometime soon. With expectations for this newAnimal Crossingtitle so high, it would make sense for the franchise to take inspiration from the other games in the simulation genre that came in its wake. The release ofAnimal Crossing: New Horizonsshook up the genre, leading big-name IPs to take their own stab at simulation games. Many would see this merely as a cash grab, but some of these simulation games have put unique twists on established simulation gameplay that Nintendo must take note of if the nextAnimal Crossingis to be successful. After all, the game has much more competition than it did previously.
Games likeDisney Dreamlight Valley, the recent debut ofHello Kitty Island Adventurefor PC and console, and the upcomingTales of the Shireall share a common gameplay feature that theAnimal Crossingfranchise has missed across its oecades-long history. Players may loveAnimal Crossing’s various NPCs and Villagers, but dedicated relationships between players and the franchise’s lovable characters are still missing.
Animal Crossing Should Add Friendship Quests
Not including questlines isn’t necessarily a detriment for theAnimal Crossingfranchise. However, with other simulation games including proper questlines for characters and relationship-building mechanics despite massive character rosters, it’s surprising that the mechanic hasn’t been part of any mainlineAnimal Crossingtitles.New Horizonswas the first timetheAnimal Crossingfranchise took a vague stab at the mechanic. Rather than full on quest lines with Villagers, players can perform certain actions alongside NPCs that increase or decrease their Friendship Level. For example, a Villager’s Friendship Level will increase by one point when a player speaks to them for the first time, each day. In contrast, a point will be docked if a player offers medicine to a Villager when they are sick despite not actually having any.
This mechanic is certainly a start, but is still leagues behind other simulation games likeDisney Dreamlight ValleyandHello Kitty Island Adventure. In fairness, both simulation games were released years afterNew Horizonsand have much smaller character rosters that were built over time. However,Disney Dreamlight Valleyhas managedto implement a ten-level Friendship Quest line for each one of its forty-nine Villagers, with at least four more on the way this year. Adding the feature is certainly an ambitious project, but it’s one that Nintendo can certainly handle.
How Animal Crossing Could Implement Friendship Quests
Nintendo has a few routes it could take when it comes to implementing Friendship quests in thenextAnimal Crossingtitle. If Nintendo were truly dedicated to the feature, the smartest option would be to scale back the game’s initial Villager roster. This move would undoubtedly be controversial, as even the most niche Villagers are Dreamies for players. Nevertheless, cutting down the game’s Villager roster to the most mainstream Dreamies and iconic Villagers like Tangy, Ankha, Bob, Audie, and, of course, Raymond, would be the best move before adding more Villagers in updates. Alternatively, the game could includeAnimal Crossing’s full roster of Villagers at debut, but add Friendship quests over time, with the aforementioned cutdown roster receiving the first wave.
However, the most generic option is repetitive quests doled out to Villagers by personality type. This would easethe workloadAnimal Crossing’s developers would have to take on, but be a less personal experience for players. Ten levels of Friendship quests also aren’t mandatory. Cutting down the quests to three or five per Villager is another option as well. Ultimately,Animal Crossingmust find a balance if it wants to implement this feature that will certainly give Villagers more depth.
